Atlántico Department

Atlántico (Spanish pronunciation: [aðˈlantiko], English: Atlantic) is a department of Colombia, located in northern Colombia with the Caribbean Sea to its north, the Bolívar Department to its west and south separated by the Canal del Dique, and the Magdalena Department to its east separated by the Magdalena River. Despite being the third smallest in the country, the department is among the most densely populated, with a population of 2,535,517.

Department of Atlántico Departamento del Atlántico
Department
Skyline of the department capital of Barranquilla
Flag Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Compromiso para una vida digna (English: Commitment for a worthy life)
Anthem: Himno del Atlántico
Atlántico shown in red
Topography of the department
Country	Colombia
Region	Caribbean Region
Department	1910
Province	1852
Capital	Barranquilla
Government
• Governor	Eduardo Verano de la Rosa 2024–2027 (Colombian Liberal Party)
Area
• Total	3,388 km2 (1,308 sq mi)
• Rank	30th
Population  (2018)[1]
• Total	2,535,517
• Rank	5th
• Density	750/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
GDP [2]
• Total	COP 63,765 billion (US$ 15.0 billion)
Time zone	UTC-05
ISO 3166 code	CO-ATL
Municipalities	23
HDI	0.777[3] high · 4th of 33
Website	atlantico.gov.co

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1973	964,087	—
1985	1,478,213	+53.3%
1993	1,837,468	+24.3%
2005	2,166,156	+17.9%
2018	2,535,517	+17.1%
Source:[4]

The department's capital and most-populous city is Barranquilla with a population of 1,327,209. Soledad and Malambo are also significant population centers within Atlántico, constituting integral parts of the Barranquilla metropolitan area.

Municipalities

1. Baranoa
2. Barranquilla
3. Campo de la Cruz
4. Candelaria
5. Galapa
6. Juan de Acosta
7. Luruaco
8. Malambo
9. Manatí
10. Palmar de Varela
11. Piojó
12. Polonuevo
13. Ponedera
14. Puerto Colombia
15. Repelón
16. Sabanagrande
17. Sabanalarga
18. Santa Lucía
19. Santo Tomás
20. Soledad
21. Suán
22. Tubará
23. Usiacurí

Politics

Governors

Main article: Governor of Atlántico

Education

Higher education

The University of Atlántico, with 22,790 students in 2021, stands as the largest higher education institution by student population in the department.

In September 2023, the University of the Coast was ranked second among the top universities in the country, while the University of the North ranked fifteenth.

Notable people

See also: Barranquilla

• Alci Acosta, musician
• Andrés Roa, association football player
• Antonio Rada, former association football player
• Arturo Segovia, former association football player
• Carlos Bacca, association football player, one of Colombia’s top all-time strikers, having scored over 300 goals for both club and country throughout his professional career
• Carlos Rodado, politician
• Checo Acosta, musician and prominent figure in the Carnival of Barranquilla
• Evaristo Sourdis, politician who held several significant positions
• Fredy Montero, association football player
• Homer Martínez, association football player
• Juan José Nieto, politician, first Afro-Colombian president
• Luis Muriel, association football player
• Luis Sandoval, association football player
• Mauro Manotas, association football player
• Pacho Galán, musician
• Paulina Vega, Miss Colombia 2013, Miss Universe 2014